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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

The Call Has Been Heard

Tina Sablan wrote a letter to the editor today detailing the start of what appears to be the formation of a coalition or new political party. This type of grassroots movement is long overdue.

We have been subject over the years to voting into office the least of the evils as listed on the ballot. The names on the ballot placed there by political parties and large families in the CNMI with the majority of them solely representing limited personal and party interests.

In the recent elections however it appears the party dominance has begun to crumble as has the large family influences. Kilili ran as an independent and won. Tina getting into office herself is also a sign of a departure from the norm. The Republicans are torn, the Teno family is ripped apart, the Villagomez family is at each other’s throats, etc. Now is an opportune time to take advantage of these factors and get individuals into office that care about the betterment of the CNMI as a whole and not just their individual well-being and personally profiting.

Things have gotten pretty bad in the CNMI and this will factor into the 2009 elections. I think the bulk of the populace is crying out for change. The only way we will truly see any type of change in government is to get a large number of forward thinking individuals on the ballot and then to work as a massive unit to get them into office.

This will not be easy but it will be far from impossible.

I have started a list of individuals that to me and some of this site’s visitors, epitomize a break from the status quo. Individuals that put the CNMI first and that I believe can make a change in the CNMI. The list I comprised contains people that can be instrumental in a coalition or party. Some perhaps would be great candidates to run for an office. Some would fit well in providing marketing support or rallying the troops at a grassroots level. Some can assist with fundraising efforts. Some can register voters. And ALL of them would be instrumental in constructing a platform and setting an agenda. It has been stated that the list of people have different views and opinions on various issues in the CNMI. This is true and thankfully so. There is nothing wrong with having your own opinions and your own views --- this is a strength. When the Declaration of Independence was drafted it was done so by a group of independent thinkers who all shared one fundamental belief – the betterment of the whole. The same can be said of constitutions of the world, our covenant and many other groups of independent thinkers that have come together in the past to alter the directions taken in the future.

I have emailed the list of minds to Representative Sablan. I do hope that the people on this list and those I have overlooked email her as well, meet with her and form a group that will influence the direction the CNMI is headed starting with the 2009 election.